Benoit Saint Denis came up short in the biggest fight of his career.
UFC 299 was a night to remember in Miami, Florida this past March 2024. In the co-main event, France’s Saint Denis attempted to leapfrog the entire Lightweight division by taking out the perennial top contender, Dustin Poirier. Unfortunately for Saint Denis, the bout resulted in his second career defeat (13-2, 1 no contest) when he lost via a second round knockout (watch highlights).
Saint Denis, 28, has yet to book his rebound bout. Poirier, on the other hand, is going on to challenge for the Lightweight title against the champion, Islam Makhachev, at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey this weekend (Sat., June 1, 2024). Had Saint Denis gotten the job done at UFC 299, his coach, Giom Peltier, claims the title opportunity would have been theirs instead.
“It’s been two months since we’ve heard from me since Benoit’s fight, but it was already signed. Everything was signed,” Peltier told RMC Sports (h/t Sport.fr). “[He beat Poirier, he faced Makhachev in June], absolutely. What if it was too early? Yes, why not? We all stayed in our place, we took a defeat. If we took a defeat, it’s because we have to work on things. We’ll be back, no problem.”
A Poirier win for Saint Denis would have extended his winning streak to six straight and been his first Top 5 triumph. Despite the possibility of him jumping the line, Saint Denis’ inclusion in the title scene would have disregarded the UFC 300 outcomes if true.
Poirier’s title shot came on the heels of fellow top contender, Arman Tsarukyan, declining a title shot after his Charles Oliveira split decision nod at the historic event last month (April 13, 2024).
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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